This invention protects the door frame against forced entry by prying or splintering. Its improvements over previous devices include aesthetics, low cost and ease of installation.
The prior art on door frame security devices generally involves the placement over the door jamb of a metal plate through which the deadbolt is inserted. Examples of that form of external reinforcement include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,144,075 to J. Mora; 2,255,860 to O. E. Riedel; 3,279,840 to A. Barone; 3,442,543 to D. Weyman; 3,934,910 to E. Radke; 4,171,837 to E. A. McRoy; 4,174,862 to C. F. Shane; and 4,383,709 to T. O. Ronan. Those visible, external plates, while somewhat effective, detract from the appearance of structures, suggest problems with neighborhood crime and permit burglars to choose other unsecured points of entry instead. The present invention overcomes those problems through concealment within the door jamb.
The door frame reinforcement disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,174,862 to C. F. Shane is concealed within the door frame, but it requires placement in the frame assembly at the time of construction. The present invention, by contrast, may be retrofitted into an existing door frame without substantial reconstruction. Only the outer door jamb is removed and the security device installed without direct engagement with, or modification of, the underlying support studs in the wall.